Wedding Wednesday: Ring Bearers and Flower Girls

Having children in your wedding is always a little bit of a gamble. Will they make it down the aisle or not?  I think the most important thing to remember is to not have super high expectations. It's funny but it seems like half the time, when you expect it to go swimmingly you end up with a ring bearer frozen at the end of the aisle or in tears half way down, while the ones that everyone expects to fall apart will buck up and make it down like a champ, waving at strangers along the way.

One of my favorite unanticipated flower girl moments involved a very responsible eight year old. She got about half way down the aisle, dropping petals as she went and stopped suddenly in her tracks. She had run out of petals! Her response was to RUN back to the end of the aisle and ask the wedding coordinator what she should do! The coordinator told her to never mind about the flowers and just walk down without them so she turned, and re-walked down the aisle.

Regardless of the outcome, kids usually provide something adorable for people to "ahh" over or some much needed comic relief in the middle of a very emotional moment. 

Tips for making it work:

• A great motivation for getting little ones down the aisle is for the groom or someone in the first row to have a little treat for them.
• If you want to have the kids in photos, talk with your photographer about having the kids come for 10 or 15 minutes at the end of the bridal party photos, that way the kids can be in a couple of group shots but don't have to wait around outside for a long time.
• Be flexible. Be willing to change plans if someone is crying or needs a snack, etc. right when your supposed to take photos with them, do something else and then come back to it a  bit later or perhaps after the ceremony.
• Kate, of Kate Price Photography, who let me borrow a few of her photos for today's post, suggests making sure the kids can see someone they know at the end of the aisle. If a parent is in the bridal party, great, or maybe have their parents sit on the aisle seats of the 2nd row so they can walk directly to them.

Make it as cute as possible! As always, Etsy is a great place to start looking for great ideas.
Check out these great customizable ring bearer pillows from Rustic Living
I also spotted this adorable flower girl dress.
"Here Comes the Bride" sign.

Images via Kate Price Photography.